City women earn half salary of men

WOMEN in the City take home only half the earnings of their male colleagues, a new survey reveals. According to figures published by the Office for National Statistics, the average weekly pay for a woman working in financial broking is £516, while men in the same field earn an average £1,018.

Women in computer-related work earn the most, taking home an average of £557 a week, but they are still outstripped by their male counterparts who earn an average of £816 a week.

The pay gap is also evident in manual jobs. Dressmaking provides the lowest weekly wage in Britain, with the average weekly wage for females being only £212.40. Men employed in the industry earn an average £257.50.

The survey shows that overall, male full-time earnings went up 4.8% in the year to this April, compared with 4.5% for women. Men are earning an average £513 a week, compared with £383 for women.

The Equal Opportunities Commission said the figures proved the pay gap between the sexes was widening.